


Valentine's

by Creep



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-03
Updated: 2015-07-05
Packaged: 2018-04-07 12:19:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4263051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Creep/pseuds/Creep
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Who would have thought that Roy would be there, standing at Edward’s door, with a bouquet of roses on Valentine’s?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I got an inspiration for this from a friend and I also don't know how to title but... oh well.

Valentine’s Day. It had never really meant much for Roy but this Valentine’s would mean something. At least, he hoped so. Who would have thought that Roy would be there, standing at Edward’s door, with a bouquet of roses on Valentine’s? Just a year back, Roy would have never even thought of such a thing. It was so absurd. It still was, Roy had never really been the type to bring roses to anyone… a year could change a lot, apparently.  
Roy knocked, waiting for the door to be opened, his heart beating so hard it nearly hurt. He tried to find the words but his throat felt like sandpaper and he was grateful that he had decided to get a card too and had written a silly little thing on it… so maybe he wouldn’t even have to try and talk. The door was opened and Roy swallowed, facing Ed.

“Come on in,” the man said, barely even glancing at Roy and he walked back into his apartment. Roy didn’t know if he was relieved that Ed hadn’t noticed the roses on Roy’s hand or if he was distressed because Roy just wanted to get it over and done with. He followed Ed to the kitchen and found him sitting on the window panel, looking thoughtful.

“Okay, I have to ask you something before we get coffee and talk about shit.”

After getting Al’s body back and finishing the contract with the military, Roy and Ed had become… friends. Or something like it. It had started at a party – someone’s birthday or wedding? Roy couldn’t remember – Ed had heard Roy talking about alchemy and had decided to join in on the conversation. Naturally, it had been about alchemy, after all. And there they were, exchanging theories, talking about possibilities and suddenly their talks became a regular thing. Suddenly they talked not only about alchemy but… everything.

“Yes? What is it?”

Ed grabbed something and handed it to Roy. It was a wrapped little gift. Roy just stood there, staring at the gift. Could it be? Could it possibly be that Ed had gotten him a gift, because he too felt that there was something between them…? Every glance, smile, subtle touch… suddenly they meant so much. Roy had been sure he was only seeing too much into them because of his feelings. But maybe he wasn’t the only one feeling them.

The fact that they could talk all night, not getting bored. The fact that when Ed had broken up with Winry, he had come to Roy and they had gotten drunk (because it was the only solution when it came to dealing with a break up, at least if you asked from Roy) and Ed had said ‘you know… it’s better this way. I don’t know if it makes any sense but sometimes when I was with her, I was kinda hoping I could be with you, like this, just talking about shit you know…’  
Roy had wanted to kiss him so badly but he was a coward, he hadn’t dared to.  
But now. _Maybe, maybe, maybe_ , Roy’s heart kept on whispering. It had been doing it for a year already but it had never been so loud, so full of hope. And then Ed said only three simple words that killed every bit of hope Roy had held on to.

“It’s for Winry.”

Oh. Right. Of course. Roy wanted to smack himself in the face. Stupid. How could he be so goddamn stupid?! Imagining such idiotic things in his silly little brain, like a little school girl, dreaming about a crush… foolish, so pathetic.  
Roy swallowed, doing his best to keep his emotions and expressions controlled when he said: “For Winry? On Valentine’s?”  
Ed shrugged. “Gotta get her something if I wanna get her back, don’t I?”  
Oh. Ed wanted to get back with Winry. And he had gotten her a gift ‘because apparently that’s what people do’ and Roy looked like the biggest idiot ever, standing there, still holding – or at that point, more like squeezing – the roses meant for Ed. They talked nearly every day and yet Ed hadn’t even hinted that he would want Winry back… at the moment, Roy wished so much that Ed would have done that.  
“I guess so, but… why? I mean, I thought you were happy with the way things were.” With us, like this.  
“I don’t know. I guess… we had something good, right? I should’ve tried more and not just throw it away.”

All the things Roy wanted to say… ‘Sometimes, with some people it’s not about trying. Sometimes it just doesn’t work. But you will find someone with whom it does work. Someone with whom it will work so well you don’t even have to try, or at least not wonder if you should be trying more when you’re already doing everything you can’. But he didn’t. Because he was afraid he couldn’t help adding something like ‘with someone like… me?’

“So anyways. I just wanted to ask if the wrapping’s alright. It’s a bitch wrapping shit with the automail.”  
“It’s perfect,” Roy said softly.

Perhaps it was the tone of his voice that made Ed finally properly look at him.  
“What’s with the roses?”  
Roy lifted the bouquet, staring at the letter that had ‘Edward’ on it with his handwriting.  
“They’re for my date.”  
Roy tried his best to smile but he was sure he was failing and judging by the way Ed’s eyebrows knitted together, he was failing badly.  
“I actually just came by to tell you that I don’t have time to have coffee today.”  
Ed was quiet for a moment and then he huffed: “You could have just called.”  
“She lives nearby, so…”  
“Right.”

Was Ed actually annoyed that Roy wasn’t staying? Roy was sure of it and it was so unfair. Ed most likely wanted to talk about Winry, of course he would be nervous about asking her to try again… but right now, Roy just couldn’t handle it. If he would have known, if he had had time to control his emotions he would be alright with it all. But right now he just had to leave.

“What is it?” Roy asked and nodded towards the gift.  
“It’s… earrings. Yeah, it’s stupid, isn’t it?”  
“No, it’s not. She will love them.”  
Ed glanced at Roy and huffed again. “If she won’t, I’ll punch you.”  
“Alright.” _Kiss your knuckles before you do_.

“So, I’ll see you later?”  
Ed shrugged. “Sure, whatever.”  
“Well, good luck then.”  
“Thanks, bastard.”

Roy forced a smile and left. When he was behind the closed door of Ed’s apartment, he sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Idiot.  
Well, at least he hadn’t shoved the roses to Ed and had come up with an explanation for them just like that. It would have been humiliating as hell but even worse, it might have ruined their friendship, or whatever it was. And at least now there was no reason whatsoever to hold on to hope, he now knew it would only be in vain.  
On his way out of the yard, he tossed the bouquet to a dumpster.


	2. Chapter 2

“Oh, hello General. Here to see Ed, right?”  
“Hello, Alphonse. And yes, you are correct.”  
“He’s here alright. I’m actually glad you came… he’s having one of those phases when it’s almost impossible to get him to leave. It’s not good for him… but you always knew how to handle him so I’m just gonna go out for lunch, good luck!”  
  
Before Roy could even open his mouth, Al was out of the door. He was right though, Roy hadn’t seen Ed much at all in two weeks. Which meant that Ed was working on something 24/7 on the lab. The Elric brothers were working for the military but that time it was something they were more suited for: independent lab research. The brothers seemed to love it so Roy was happy for them. But Ed especially had a way of getting too preoccupied with working, especially when something was bothering him. Last time had been before Valentine’s, when Ed had apparently been thinking about Winry and getting back together. Was there trouble in paradise already?  
  
Roy walked over to the corner where Ed was looking at a sample, muttering quietly to himself. He obviously hadn’t been sleeping enough and needed a shower but even so, to Roy he looked incredibly attractive with his hair on a high ponytail, the white lab jacket, the _goggles_. Who the hell could look attractive with those? Well, Ed apparently. And Roy was so screwed. He had been so sure that he had managed to bury his feelings towards Ed during the few weeks they hadn’t seen each other but there Roy was and the same agonizing longing to touch the man was there, maybe even stronger than before.  
  
“Hey.”  
Ed startled and glanced at Roy, then went back to staring at the microscope. “When did you get here?”  
“Just now.”  
Ed glanced around. “Where’s Al?”  
“He went out for lunch,” Roy said with amusement since he was sure Al had very clearly said to his brother that he would go out but it was no use trying to get Ed’s attention when he was working. “Oh.”  
  
Roy looked at Ed, finding his short answers and tenseness odd.  
“What are you doing here anyways?”  
“Taking you out for lunch?” Again, another quick gaze.  
“I don’t know…”  
  
What was going on? Ed got preoccupied with work a lot but since when had he turned down free food?  
“It’s my treat,” Roy said, to make sure Ed understood that he was actually hesitant about a free meal.  
“Maybe later,” he said, much to Roy’s disbelief.  
“When was the last time you ate a proper meal?” Roy asked and when Ed was about to answer, he added: “Sandwiches with coffee doesn’t count.”  
  
Ed shut his mouth and frowned. “Your brother is worried about you,” Roy said softly then because honestly? He was a manipulating asshole, just as Ed always so delinquently put it. He knew all of Ed’s weak spots and Alphonse was a mature one.  
“Fine,” Ed groaned finally and nearly ripped his goggles off. He shrugged off the lab jacket and replaced it with the long brown one. Roy followed him out.  
  
“So, where do you wanna go? How about that hamburger place you love?” Again, with the long silences and gazes Roy wasn’t able to interpret.  
“Whatever.” What was going on? Ed’s moods weren’t exactly anything new to people who knew him but this particular mood was something Roy had never experienced before. It was as if he was mad at Roy? Which made no sense because Roy had done absolutely nothing to make Ed sulk at him. Hadn’t he?  
  
Roy was glad he had picked the hamburger place because it was nearby so the awkward silence during the walk there wasn’t prolonged. They sat down, ordered and… yet another deadly silence, with Ed fiddling with his fork. “So… how did things go with Winry?”  
Ed was quiet for quite a time, just fiddling until he suddenly stopped and finally actually looked at Roy. “They didn’t.”  
“What…? How come?”  
  
He wasn’t sure if meant the ‘how come’ to be ‘how come it didn’t’ or ‘how come you didn’t tell me’. If the reason Ed had been isolated was this, then… well, at least Ed wasn’t pissed at Roy. Ed sighed and grabbed something from his pocket. It looked like a letter. “Because of this, you asshole,” he said and tossed the letter. Roy froze when he saw the name on it. _Edward_. It was his letter. The letter he had tossed away along the roses few weeks ago.  
  
“How –“ Roy said, not recognizing his own voice.  
“I thought you were acting kinda weird that night. So when you left, I watched you go. And I saw you, tossing the flowers. So of course I was like ‘what the fuck’. I don’t know, I just thought you were being stupid? So I grabbed it from the dumpster. And I saw this.”  
“And you read it,” Roy said with a weak voice.  
“It had my name on it…”  
  
And at that moment, the waitress came and handed their dishes with a bright ‘enjoy!’ Roy didn’t know what to say. He thought he had escaped with dealing it before but apparently not. Ed glanced at Roy behind his hair, with that familiar expression of his that said ‘I’ve hurt someone by being me and it’s killing me’.  
  
“Why didn’t you just tell me? You just stood there, letting me talk about Winry… what the hell?”  
“What was I supposed to do? You wanted to get back with her, do you think that was a good moment to tell you?”  
“So you could’ve listened to me talk about her, watch me be with her?!”  
“If that made you happy, yes!”  
  
Roy closed his eyes, tried to remind himself that they were in public and that was not the type of conversation to have in public. Ed stared at the plate before him, shoulders hunched. “But I… you never even gave me any hints at all. Any chance at all!”  
Roy couldn’t believe it. Ed was actually blaming him for not giving any chance? “To do what, exactly?”  
“What do you think?! To – to see what could be.”  
Roy shook his head. “Look. Just forget about it. Forget that you read that, that this whole thing ever happened. You should just sort things out with Winry, like you wanted to. The reason I didn’t want you to know was because I knew you would do something like this… I didn’t mean to confuse you. I’m sorry.”  
  
Roy stood up and tossed enough cenz on the table. Ed stood up as well. “So that’s that?” he asked, glaring at Roy with burning eyes.  
“Pretty much,” Roy said and walked past him. He was so, _so_ stupid. Couldn’t he have waited to dump the bouquet somewhere else than the dumpster of the building where Ed lived? And having to force himself out of there, before he would let himself believe than maybe there could be something… when he knew Ed was just confused. He knew Ed would have never even thought about Roy in that way, if he had never read the goddamn letter.

Roy barely got out of the diner when he felt a hard push on his shoulder. He turned around to face Ed whose eyes were burning. “So you’re just gonna fucking give up?!”  
Why couldn’t Ed just let it be? Why didn't he _ever_ do what Roy told him to? “Aren’t you hearing yourself? You don’t want me to give up on you?”  
“It pisses me off! But I don’t know why I’m so surprised, it’s so fucking typical of you…”  
“Sure, fine.” Roy turned around to once walk away and that time Ed let him. Roy only heard him huff ‘fuck you then’ and then the loud steps walking away from him.


End file.
